An Unpleasant Surprise
by fiaprendy
Summary: Morgana plots to kill Merlin. However, this time, her magic is masked so well not even Merlin suspects her. Featuring sick!merlin (though I don't do that very much) caring!arthur (kinda) DISCLAIMER NOTICE: I DO NOT OWN MERLIN. IM JUST A WEIRD FANGIRL.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Morgana stared blankly into the gaping cave in which she stood. Her cold green eyes glazed and expressionless, her thin pale lips pursed while her long tangled black hair blew over her face in an eerie draught.  
"Hello sister" she heard a voice say from behind her.  
"Morgause! And what a pleasure it is to see you again." said Morgana her lips curling into a thin smile.  
"I feared you wouldn't come." she said.  
"But surely you don't think I'd miss a meeting with you, dear Morgana, especially as I come bearing news I feel you might like to here." said Morgause.  
"And what is it?" said Morgana, her eagerness becoming more and more obvious by the minute.  
"I have found a way we can get that blundering idiot of a servant out of the way of our future plans for you to claim your rightful place, on the throne of Camelot. This beloved pet of Arthur's has meddled with them once to often, and we may not continue until he has been... taken care of, shall we say." Morgause said with a sinister grin spreading across her face.  
"But sister, surly you know that every attempt we have made to kill him has failed! Although our magic is powerful, it is still very difficult to disguise. The physician... _Gauis_ suspects us every time." Morgana said bitterly.  
"Until now, that is." Morgause said, her grin growing wider.  
"Because now, I have found a resolution to this." She said as she pulled out a voodoo doll from beneath her cloak and dropped it into a small pool of water deep within the cave.  
"I have already enchanted the voodoo doll so that it's condition is paired with the boy's. All we have to do now is place a simple spell on the water, which if done correctly will infect anything submerged within it. The fool will simply appear unwell and will get worse and worse over time, until he is eventually killed by the sickness. For him to suspect the true cause behind the sickness he would have to be not only a sorcerer but also a seer, and surly he is far too simple to be either of these things." she said beginning to laugh.  
"Oh sister, you are a genius." Morgana said, readying herself to begin the spell.  
"Amner særnutos demæos, te undai leneon, ugæni lidi duelma, de Merlin a mortis!" Morgause and Morgana chanted in unison.  
"Come sister. You must begin your journey back to Camelot soon if you wish to reach there by morning." Said Morgause.  
"I know." said Morgana. "And I shall keep a close eye on the boy to make sure things run smoothly. He shall not suspect a thing."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Merlin awoke early, which was rather unusual for him. He felt a little... off, but decided to ignore it. He got washed and dressed before making his way down to the main part of his chambers of which he shared with Gauis, and tried prepare breakfast for himself as quietly as possible. Merlin tried to be quiet, he really did, but when a sudden dizzy spell took him by surprise he dropped the bowl he was holding and it fell to the ground with a loud _thud!_

"What on earth- Merlin! What are you doing up?" said a rather startled Gauis raising an eyebrow.

"I um..." Merlin began trying to steady himself again. "I don't really know. I just... woke up I guess." Carefully, Merlin picked up the bowl. He'd been about to fill it with porridge, but soon realised that he didn't really have the appetite for breakfast at all. Gauis gave him a suspicious look.

"Are you alright Merlin? You don't look very well." he said with a concerned look on his face.

"I'm fine Gauis! I'm just tiered, which as hardly surprising when you see what Arthur puts me through." Merlin grumbled. He grabbed his jacket as headed out the door, and raised a hand to his temple. He only hoped whatever had happened in his chambers would not happen again that day.

"Rise and shine!" said Merlin as he yanked open the curtains in Arthur's chambers. He found himself squinting, even though the sun wasn't that bright. Arthur groaned and rolled over with his face in a pillow.

"Ugh. Honestly Merlin, I don't know how you to this every day." Arthur said jokingly. Merlin simply shrugged his shoulders and began to serve the prince breakfast. Arthur was surprised by the lack of cheeky comments or sarcastic remarks. He looked at Merlin more closely, and upon inspection saw that the boy's hands were shaking as he poured the wine into the goblet. He then heard him attempt (and fail) to stifle a cough, and squint whenever he had to step out of the shade.

"Merlin are you okay?" he said. Merlin looked at him questioningly.

"Yes sire. It's just a cold. Nothing to worry about." Merlin said with a weak smile. This time it was Arthur's turn to shrug his shoulders.

"Well, in that case I need you to polish my armour, sharpen my sword, wash my clothes..." Merlin zoned out half way through the list. He knew this was going to be a long day.

By lunch time Merlin was beginning to wonder if he really was "okay". His head was starting to pound, his coughing had become significantly more frequent and he even felt a little nauseous.

" _Merlin._ _Merlin!_ MERLIN!" said Arthur angrily as he stared at his seemingly dazed servant. "What are you doing? How many times do I..." he trailed off when he saw the boy's face. He was white as a sheet and looked as if he was about to pass out. "Um Merlin I think you should sit down. You know... before you fall down." he said worriedly.

"Arthur! I told you I'm fine! I just-" Merlin had to grip the table to stop himself from collapsing. It was happening again. That thing he'd experienced that morning! It was exactly the same as it was before, only a lot worse. The room spun as he brought his free hand to his now throbbing head. Suddenly, he felt an arm around his waist, steadying him before he fell. Arthur carefully lowered Merlin to the ground before gently lifting his head to check if the poor boy was even still conscious. To Arthur's great relief he was, but his face was screwed up in pain.

"Come on Merlin. Let's get you to Gauis's chambers." he said trying to hide the concern in his voice. Merlin opened his eyes a little wider.

"Don't bother him Arthur. He's probably busy with other patients who actually _need_ a physician. I'm just feeling a little faint, is all." he said.

"Mmhm, and this morning it was 'just a cold' as well." said Arthur still a hint of concern tinting his voice."

"You're forgetting I'm also sort of a physician." said Merlin smugly.

"And you're forgetting I'm also sort of the future king." said Arthur.

"Oh come on Arthur! I'm fine. I'll go to Gauis's chambers and pick up a remedy for vertigo and then get back to work. I'm not sure there's anyone else in the castle who can handle washing _your_ socks! I mean- Ow!" Merlin was cut short by Arthur shoving his boots rather forcefully into his arms.

"Okay then Merlin, have it your way. You can scrub these and then you can muck out my horses... _after_ you take care of these little dizzy spells." he said. Merlin sighed, and trudged back to his chambers. At least this would put an end to his problem. _Or so he thought..._


	3. Chapter 3

Merlin made his way to see the old physician about his so called "dizzy spells". He found that he had to stop one or two times and sit down. He liked the feeling of the smooth cool stone wall against his alarmingly warm skin as he took yet another break. Merlin hadn't realised he had started to drift off until he felt a delicate hand on his shoulder. He opened his eyes and jumped.

"Morgana! Uh I-" Merlin babbled.

"It's okay Merlin! I was only checking to see if you were alright. You look terrible... were you on your way to Gauis by any chance?" said Morgana.

"Well... yes actually, but I'm fine. I just need to pick up a remedy for... a headache. That's all." said Merlin, now fighting back a cough as well as trying to stop the room from spinning.

"Alright then, I'll leave you to it." Morgana said as her eyes flashed with false innocence. Merlin gave her a small nod and hurried along the corridor. He wondered if he really was coming down with a cold or something. After all, that would be the most logical explanation given the cough and dizziness. He didn't even need to be a physician to know that. When he finally reached his chambers he walked straight into Gauis.

"Ah! Gauis! Um, sorry about that but you wouldn't happen to have a remedy for dizziness lying around would you?" asked Merlin trying not to look him in the eye. Even still, he saw him raise an eyebrow. "Uh... It's for one of Arthur's knights. He was complaining of some mild vertigo earlier on, and Arthur doesn't want it to interfere with their training session later on." Merlin said. He knew he was lying through his teeth but it seemed to work.

"Hmm let me see.." said Gauis as he examined a rack of potions warily, still not fully convinced Merlin was telling the truth. "Ah here it is. Prochlorperazine. Tell him to take two spoonfuls every hour until he feels better, and if it gets any worse to come to me immediately." he said handing Merlin the little vile of orange liquid. Merlin gulped.

"Thank you Gauis. I'll be sure to take it to him just after lunch." he said.

"Alright then. By the way It's your favourite for lunch today. After all, you must be starving - and don't act like you don't know what I mean. I saw you skipping breakfast this morning!" said Gauis gesturing over to the table. Usually even the thought of leek and potato soup made Merlin's mouth water, but now the very smell made his stomach turn. He knew eating was not the best idea when you were feeling nauseous, but he couldn't exactly skip breakfast and lunch, and Gauis would know something was up if he tried to wriggle his way out of it. So, after much thought on the matter, Merlin reluctantly sat down to lunch and tried to get through an entire bowl of leek and potato soup. At first it was just about bearable but as he went on Merlin began to feel worse and worse until he realised his mistake. He dropped his spoon, clapped a hand over his mouth and leaped out of his chair. He didn't even hear Gauis shouting at him from behind as he raced to the lavatory.

Merlin was close to tears. He'd almost forgotten how terrible vomiting felt. He groaned and slumped to the floor, glad it was finally over, only to be met with another coughing fit. He couldn't go on like this for much longer, but neither could he drop everything and spend the day in bed. Merlin shuddered at the thought of Arthur's reaction to that idea. He stood up shakily, and started on his way to face Gauis.

"And what exactly was that all about?" said a rather cross Gauis, failing to hide his concern.

"Must have been the chicken from last night. I knew it tasted funny." said Merlin. He'd thought this through very carefully.

"Merlin, There no point trying to hide things from me. If you're not well you should tell me! I am a physician after all." Said Gauis.

"I'm fine Gauis, I just need a good night's sleep. But first, I need to scrub Arthur's manky old boots." Merlin grumbled, and with that he strutted out the door and hurried along to Arthur's chambers, leaving Gauis too startled to attempt to chase him.


	4. Chapter 4

Once again, Merlin sat hunched over the table, scrubbing at a battered yet shiny chest plate. It was then the he heard Gauis's voice from down the corridor:

"I'm serious sire - he could have something seriously wrong with him!"

"Gauis, I figured that out a long time ago." said Arthur with a snigger. "Look, I'll keep an eye out for him but he seems fine besides the incident this morning becua-"

"I heard of no such incident?"

"Nonsense! I sent him straight... wait... what? You know what Gauis? I'll handle this." Said Arthur in such a fierce tone that even Gauis had the sense to scuttle back to his chambers in (relative) silence.

Merlin knew he was sooo dead. Once Arthur found out he had lied he would go ballistic, and he really didn't need that on top of everything he was dealing with at that time. Just as he was contemplating his options he heard Arthur burst through the chamber doors. He looked like he was about to go on an exasperated rant, but instead stood very close to him and spoke in a hushed voice.

"Now Merlin, if you'd kindly explain to me what this is that I have just heard about? And DON'T EVEN PRETEND YOU WEREN'T LISTENING!"

Merlin shot up from his chair as he racked his brains for valid excuses, but before he could come up with anything, he was taken over by yet another wave of unsteadiness, only this time he felt and overpowering amount of nausea come with it and a pain in his head so bad that even the softly candle lit chambers seemed too bright for his weary eyes. He swayed a little, feeling his knees preparing to buckle.

Suddenly all traces of anger had vanished from Arthur's face and before he had time to act, Merlins eyes rolled back into his head and he collapsed with a thud.

"Oh Merlin... I'm so sorry..." said Arthur, staring helplessly at Merlin's pale sweaty face. Suddenly his eyes shot open and he swung his head to the side, and Arthur took this as a hint to pass the chamber pot. He rubbed reassuring circles on Merlin's back in an effort to soothe him as the tears poured down his face and he retched violently, non stop. When the process finally came to an end, Arthur picked Merlin up as gently as possible, trying not to allow the soft pitiful moans coming from Merlin make his eyes prick with tears. He hurried down to Gauis's chambers - this time, he would make sure the boy got the help he needed.

Merlin awoke to the sight of Gauis's face just inches from his, with one eyebrow raised, and a monocle wedged beneath the other. After a rather awkward moment of silence Merlin screamed and fell off the bed, rolling onto the floor with a small thud, followed by a loud groan of self pity. Now that he had gotten over the initial shock, he realised just how much pain he was in


End file.
